Method for use in manufacturing shoes



April 30, 1940. F. s. S'HERM AN 2,198,707

METHOD FOR USE IN MANUFACTURING SHOES Filed Dec. 28. 1937 .P n ed A r. 30, 1940 Will ,H.

METnon roit snINMANnrAc'rUnmG Fred S. ,Sherman, Somerville, Mass; assignor to l h Jersey i United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New phlic tionpeccinberfi, 1937, Scrial No. 182,103

f9 Claims. (01. 12 445) This invention relates to a method for use in the manufacture of Shoes in which theedges of the lacing opening are held in proper position during the lasting operation by a piece ofxflexible material attached to the lacing portions of the upper, tothe piece of material andtof an -upper provided with the piece andready to bemounted on alast,

the manufacture of laced shoes it has been customary to provide reinforcements or stays between the lining and the upper along each edge lacing-holes in the uppen after whichthe upper itis placed on a last the edges of thelacing openof the lacing opening, to punch lacing holes through the three layers and, if desired, to insert eyelets whichextend through the lining, and the stays 'and'mayor may not extend through the is laced with a cord injsuch manner ,that when ing are held in proper position during the lasting operation; thecord being cut or otherwiseremoved when the shoe is to bepulledffrom the lastl l The purpose of thepresent invention is to dispense with this temporary j lacing by attaching the lacing portions of theupper together in proper y; relation bymeans of, a pieceoffabric or other siiitablematerial, said piecelbeing preferably of served the purpose of holding the lacing portions in posititm during the lasting and subsequent operations andthatxpart oi which bridges; the lacing opening has been cutaway, ,thepart or parts which remain inthe shoe serve as staysin the localities pfthelacingholes: v l Referring tothe accompanying drawing,

Fig. lis a perspectiveflof a Pit-3C6 offlexible sheet material which is to be attached to a shoej Fig. 2is a perspective of ailastedBal shoe the lacing portions of the quarter otwhich are attachedj togetherby the piece ofsheet material,

saidpiece being in process of being slit to permit theshoe to be removed from the last;

Fig 3 is a verticalQcross section of a portion of the lasted shoe ofFig. 2 on the line III1II of that figure; l i Fig. 4 is a perspective of a portion of the shoe after its removal from the last, that part of the piece of flexible material which bridges the lacing opening being intprocess of being cut away;

and.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the piece of flexible material .foldedintoa convenient shape for at-- [taching it to an upper. v i v The piece of flexible sheet material 5, which provides two stays, one for each lacing portion of the quarter, in the locality of the lacing holes '1, may be of any suitable strong material, such as Tuista. It is preferably of truncated wedge shape and is provided near its narrower end with a cross-mark which conveniently may be a crossslit 9. Starting from a point on the slit is a crease H which extends substantially medially of the piece and parallel to its long axis to the wider} end of the piece, such crease facilitating the bending of the piece] along its longitudinal middle 1 about the ridge of the instep of a last. The piece is also provided with two creases or marks I3 which start from the cross-mark 9 and diverge toward the wider end of the piece, said creases or marks I3 being substantially parallel respectively to the divergingedges of thepiece. When the piece is being attached to thelacing portions of the quarter I4, the cross-mark 9 is located at or near the base of the V-shaped lacing opening close to or in registerwith the vamp seam l6 and the marks or creases l3 provide means for locating the piece properly with respect to the edges of the opening. These marks or creases, it will be understood, are not essential, butcontribute greatly to theproper locating or the piece in the upper of the shoe. The piece is fastened to the lacing portions ofthe quarter and to the linsuchshape and so located that, after it has ing, if there is a lining preferably by rows of stitches I5, and the piece extends far enough beneath each lacing portion of the quarter to serve as a stay in the locality of the lacingholes. Before the piece 5 is stitched in place it is preferably folded into the shape shown in Fig. 5 so that first one edge of the lacing opening may conveniently be brought into register with one crease l3 and stitched, and thenthe other edge maybe brought a last 25 and lasted. The piece 5 withstands the strains of the lasting. operation and maintains the edges of the lacing opening in proper position. Further manufacturing operations, such as attaching the sole, are then performed. When the shoe reaches the stage at which it is tobe removed from the last, a cut is made in the piece 5, for example by slitting it with a knife. 21, as indicated in Fig. 2. Thereafter, and commonly when the shoe is otherwise finished, the piece is trimmed, for example with the knife 21, as indicated in Fig. 4;, by two outs parallel respectively to the edges of the lacing opening of the quarter so as to remove all of the piece 5 which bridges the opening, the trimming being done by undercuts so that the edges of the piece 5 and of the lining I! are not exposed to view in the finished shoe. r

When this hasbeen done, the piece 5 consists of two arms extending along the edges of the lacing opening, said arms taking the place of the 7, -two usual eyelet stays. In the illustrated construction, in which a Balshoe is shown, the two stays are arms of a V, since the piece 5' extends across the line of stitches It by which the vamp .3l is attached to the quarter; but whether they are arms of a V or separate pieces. will depend upon the style of the shoe and upon how the,

piece 5 islocated. In a shoe of the Blucher type, ferv example, the stays would be'separate pieces. It should also be noted that a piece corresponding to the piece 5 for use with a Blucher shoe need not be of truncated shape, need not have the cross-mark s, and that the ,marks corresponding to the marks it need not approach each other at the lower end-of the piece. 1 i

,il-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1;. Themethod of providing stays on. the lacing portions of the upper of a shoe and a means for holding the portions in proper position during the lasting operation which comprises attaching the portions together by a piece of flexible sheet .material; which bridges the space between. the

edges of the lacing portions and extends beneath each portion far enough to serve as a stay, and subsequently removing only that part of the piece which bridgessaid space, leaving the remainder to serve as stays.

2. The method of providing stays on the lacingportions of the upper of a shoe and a means the lasting operation which comprises stitching to the portions a pieceof flexible sheet material which bridges the lacing opening, punching holes through the upper, the lining and the piece, and

subsequently removing only that part of the piece which bridges theopening, leaving the re roainder of the piece to serve as stays.

4. 'I'hemethod which comprises attaching the lacing portions of the upper of a shoe together by a piece of flexible sheet material strong enoughto withstand the strains of the lasting operation, said piece extending far enough beneath each portion to serve as a stay in the. localities ofthe lacing; holes, performing subse-.

quent operations including punching lacing holes, mounting the upper on a last and lasting it, and

' subsequently removing a part of the piece which bridges the lacing opening.

5. The'method which comprises attaching the lacing portionsof the upper of a shoe together by a piece of flexible sheet material strong enough" to withstand the strains of the lasting operation, said piece extending far enoughbeneath each portion to serveas an eyelet stay, performing subsequent operations including inserting eyelets, mounting the upper upon a last and lasting it,

.andsubsequently removing a part of the piece which bridges the lacing opening.

6. The method'which comprises attaching the lacing portions of the upper of a shoe together by a piece of flexible sheet material strong enough to withstand the strains of the lasting operation, said piece extending far enough beneath each portion, toI-serve as an eyeletstay, performing subsequent operations including inserting eyelets, mounting the upper upon a last and lasting it, slitting the piece to permit removal of the last,

and trimming ofiv those parts of the piece which extend out beyond the edges of the lacing opening.

:7. A lined upper ready to be mounted upon a last, the lacing portions of the upperbeing attached together bye-a piece of flexible material havinglacing holes passing through it, said piece being adaptedwhen the upper has been mounted on thelast to holdthe portions in proper position 7 during the lasting operation, parts of said piece lying between the lacing portions and their linings in. position to serve as stays in the localities of the lacing holes. I

8.A piece of strong flexible material adapted tobe attached to the lacing portions of the upper of a shoe and to hold said portions in posi.

tion during the'lasting operation, parts of said piece being adapted to serve as eyelet stays, said piece being of truncated form, having a mark 1 extending crosswise adjacent to its narrower end,

and beingprovided with three creases one extending. from the cross-mark parallel to the axis of the wedge-shaped'piece andtwo others which start at the cross-mark and diverge toward the wider end ofthe piece;-

9. 'A piece of strong ,flexible material adapted to be attached to the'lacing portions of. the upper of a shoe and to hold said portions in position duringthe lasting operation, parts of said piece being adapted to serve as eyelet stays, said piece being of truncated wedge form, having a mark extending crosswise adjacent to its narrower end, and being provided with two creases which start at the cross-mark and diverge'toward the wider end of the piece.

l l FRED .S. SHERMAN. 

